Forever Young
by Iris Pont
Summary: The story that never happened. Richard and Emily don't know about Rory. Christopher doesn't know about Rory. The mysterious disappearance of a secretly pregnant 16 year old, and her not-such-a-friendship with a local great-coffee-maker.
1. Abandoning Hartford

A little plus sign stared back at Lorelai, mocking her. There had to be a mistake. She couldn't be pregnant. She absolutely couldn't be. It must be defective. She reached back into the box and pulled another one out. But again, the evil little plus sign poked up its head again, assuring her that this wasn't a mistake.

Shocked, frozen, and numb, Lorelai sat there staring at nothing. Her whole life seemed to pass before her eyes, showing her once again her night with Christopher. Who knew that something so innocent could cause such a calamity? In one fail swoop she had ruined her life and Chris's.

_But it doesn't have to be that way_, a little voice inside her whispered. His life doesn't have to end _because you made a mistake._ It was then that she knew what she had to do.

She walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Being late to class didn't matter right now, finding Christopher absolutely mattered. Luckily he was right across the hall, waiting for her. The worried look on his face nearly brought her to tears, but she kept the serious look in her eyes and walked toward him.

"Look, Chris, we need to talk."

"Okay, let's talk."

She took a deep breath before passing the point of no return, "We need to end this."

"… End what? Our relationship?"

"Yes."

"Why? What are you talking about? Did I do something wrong, cause I'm sor –"

"Nothing. You did nothing. You did everything right. It's just… it's my parents! They said that I can't see you anymore because I'm getting too distracted at my young age," She used her Emily Gilmore impersonation for the last part. But it still didn't make things better.

"Since when do you care about what your parents say? This isn't like you!" The pain in his eyes was almost unbearable. How could she hurt someone she cared about so much?

"Chris, I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, but I'm ending this. It'll be better this way," Tears began to fill her eyes as she looked at him. She had to get away, fast, "Goodbye, Chris."

And she turned and walked away crying.

She waited until midnight, when she heard her parent's door shut. Then, she got out of bed and began packing. In her duffle bag, she put the necessities, as well as her tape player and extensive collection of cassettes. She counted over $200 dollars in her wallet, and adrenaline rushed through her. Lastly, she grabbed her Polaroid and took a picture of her old doll house. It was her favorite part of the whole house, her whole childhood even. _One day I'll come and get it back_, she thought. Shaking the picture, she stuffed it and the camera in her bag.

Trying to get dressed, she couldn't help but let the tears fall. She couldn't believe it had come to this. The life she knew was ending so fast, it was making her head spin. Finally, she stumbled into an old pair of jeans and her long The Go Go's t-shirt.

Looking at the clock, Lorelai noticed it was getting later. She had to get moving. Putting on her military jacket and throwing her duffle bag over her shoulder, she crept down the hall. Carefully, she placed the note on the floor by her parent's room, and went back to her room. After one last look, she silently climbed out the window.

Arriving at the bus station was only her first dilemma. Lorelai had absolutely no clue where to go. She had been out of Hartford, yes, but not to any of the towns nearby. She had no clue what other towns were like, let alone which she wanted to live in.

When the bus arrived, she still got on. The bus driver gave an odd look, but let her pay the fee and get on. There was absolutely no one on the bus.

She sat quietly. Passing several towns, she could never find one that felt _right_. So she kept riding. Washington Depot, New Haven, Woodbridge, Woodbury, Beacon Falls, Essex, Litchfield, Gorton, New London, Wallingford, Newington – the list went on. After hours, they stopped again. This time, the bus driver looked back at Lorelai.

"Kid, this is the last stop before I head back to Hartford. From what it looks like, you don't want to go back. I'm sorry, but you gotta get off now."

Almost unaware, she got off the bus. Frantically she looked around, and saw a sign that read "Stars Hollow: Founded 1779". The bus pulled away, and a gust of wind blew her hair. She sat down on the ground against the sign, and started sobbing.

Everything was falling apart around her. She hurt Christopher, she hurt her parents, she was hurting _it_, and she was hurting herself. Who was she kidding? How could she ever make it on her own, pregnant, and 16? She pulled up her knees and sat crying for who knows how long. She sat alone, waiting for something and nothing at the same time.

A few people began to come out of their homes, walking about. No one seemed to notice the girl crying her eyes out by the sign. She had never felt more invisible.

Then, someone walked right by her. And this person actually _stopped_ by her. And they _spoke_ to her.

"Um… Are you okay?"

Tentatively, she looked up. A boy a little older than her stared back at her. His shaggy brown hair almost hid his soft blue eyes, but couldn't hide the puzzled look on his face. Drying her eyes and trying to laugh, Lorelai tried to reply.

"I don't exactly look okay, do I?"

"I guess not," He helped her to her feet, "Do you know what time it is?"

"Judging by how extremely tired everyone is looking, I'm guessing it's early."

"Try 5:00 A.M."

"Are you _kidding_?" Richard and Emily would be up soon. Soon it would be too late to go back home. There really was no turning back.

"Listen, shouldn't you be home soon?" _Wow, did he just read my mind?_

"Uh, I can't exactly go home right now since I ran away a couple hours ago."

"Oh. Well… do you want some coffee, at least?"

"Yeah, that sounds really good actually."

She followed him through the streets of Stars Hollow. They passed various restaurants, stores, etc. This town was so small, but so big at the same time. She had been so upset when she had to come here, but looking around Stars Hollow made her feel like she was… home.

Finally they arrived at an old hardware store. He opened the door for her, walked in, and disappeared in the back. After a while, her returned with a cup of coffee, and gave it to Lorelai. Drinking it, she felt warm and comforted. All the crap that was happening seemed to melt a little.

Once she came back to Earth with the energy to carry on, she tried to start some conversation.

"Do you live here?"

"Yeah. It was my dad's, and now I'm trying to convert it into an apartment or something."

"That's cool."

"So how old are you?"

"Sixteen. You?"

"Nineteen."

"Really? I knew it."

"…You knew it?"

"I could tell," She said, smiling, "So have you lived here your whole life."

"Yep. Nineteen years in Stars Hollow."

"Well, don't you like it?"

He took a deep breath before he answered her, "It's okay. Some of the tradition bull they shove at you gets on my nerves. But other than that it's nice, I guess. Its home."

"That's real nice," She was smiling again, she realized. She was so calm around this stranger, just because he made her the greatest coffee ever. "Well I should actually start moving now. Hey, not to be super pushy or anything, but do you know where I can get a job around here?"

"Uh, yeah. You should check Miss Patties. It's just down the street."

"Great, thanks! And thanks for the coffee, it was amazing."

"No problem. Oh, hey, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, it's Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore."

"Lorelai. I like it. See you around, Lorelai."

"… And your name is…?"

"Oh! I'm sor – I for -" He faltered a little, and tried to regain his tough composure. She stood there, waiting. After a while, he found his footing and responded.

"Luke. Luke Danes."


	2. Fixated

Lorelai lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her head was practically spinning from all that had happened since she arrived at Stars Hollow. Listening to her XTC tape, she tried to recover from the harsh fact that she wouldn't see Christopher again, and that her parents now hated her even more. In her mind, she replayed the day's events.

Walking in the direction Luke had shown her, Lorelai got to look around more. It was a little later, and people were starting to head outside. Almost everyone looked happy, or at least content. She didn't see anyone who looked like they belonged in the world of Richard and Emily, and this made her smile.

She quickly stopped at a grocery store and got a box of Pop Tarts. The cashier _smiled_ at her, a genuine smile! Not the fake one that cashiers would give her in Hartford. She gave him an extra tip, and walked out beaming. It seemed almost like fate that the bus had stopped here.

Arriving at Miss Patty's School of Dance was no different. Small children danced about, directed by a lady on the side of the room, clapping and cheering, instructing them in each step. "Watch your movements, girls! You're supposed to be flowing water, not Olivia Newton-John in her leather pants from _Grease_! That's it. One-two-three, one-two-three." Lorelai forgot what she came for, and watch the kids dancing.

After a few moments, the kids rushed outside, rejoining parents and siblings. She then walked up to the lady, and actually felt kind of nervous. The feeling went away as quickly as it had come, and she finally spoke up.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Patty?"

"Why yes," The lady replied, smiling, "And who might you be?"

"Hi, I'm Lorelai Gilmore. I just… moved here and was told that you might know where I could maybe get a job."

"Of course I can! Just come back here, and I'll try and find you something," She led her to the back of the room, and started dialing every phone number known to man. Lorelai stood beside her, patiently. She tried to start a conversation, but the situation didn't really allow it. After about seven calls, Miss Patty was put on hold, and Lorelai didn't even have to be the first to talk.

"So are you liking Stars Hollow? It's really nice, isn't it?"

"Well, I've only been here for a day, and only talked to one person. But yeah, I think I like it a lot."

"Oh, fantastic! You know, this town is really close, but when people as lovely as you walk in, we can open right up to welcome ya! Who'd you meet already?"

"Uh, I think he said his name was Luke."

"Luke Danes! Well, I bet he charmed your socks off right away," Lorelai could hear the hint of sarcasm in her voice. _He was really nice to when _I_ met him_, she thought, _what's she talking about_? "Well, apparently he was kind enough to send you my way."

Then she started talking on the phone again, and nothing else was said about Luke. Four phone calls later, Miss Patty hung up the phone and turned.

"Word on the street is that the Independence Inn is hiring! I've spoken to the manager, and she said that they're looking for a few maids to work different shifts, and they're looking for the first person to walk in! I gave her your name, dear, if that's okay. You'll have to interview, but you pretty much have the job already. Here, I'll drive you over there."

Turns out they were way too desperate for an interview, because in less than an hour Lorelai was cleaning bathrooms. Hunched over a toilet, the strong smell of cleaning supplies filled her lungs and practically sterilized her brain. Her hands were so sweaty that the rubber gloves were sticking to them. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the bathroom, startling her. Rushing out of the stall, she saw a girl with long, orange hair lying on the floor. The cleaning cart was on the ground, cleaning supplies scattered all around.

"I'm okay," the girl said, trying to stand up. Lorelai still stared, astonished at the scene.

"You're bleeding! Are you alright?"

"Oh, it's just a scratch. Yep, I'm fine," She finally made it to her feet, and pulled an extra-large Band-Aid out of her pocket. Placing it on her arm, she looked up at Lorelai, "Hi. Sookie St. James. You're the new maid they hired today, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that's me. Lorelai Gilmore. You work here too?"

"Yes, actually, I'm a maid here after school and weekends. In fact, I was just called in here to tell you that the shift's over."

"Really? Oh, thank God!" She started picking up the cleaning cart. Sookie bent over and started helping her.

"I've never seen you around; do you go to school in here?"

"Umm… No, actually. Just moved here."

"Oh, so I'm guessing you haven't gotten the Stars Hollow welcome tour yet."

"Not really. I mean, I've walked around and talked to a few people, but never an official 'welcome tour hoorah' before."

"Well, I guess I'll have to do the honors."

For hours, they walked around, drinking coffee and talking. Lorelai felt that they had known each other for years, when in fact they had only met earlier today. Sookie was a really good person, someone who could listen to her problems and whom Lorelai could listen to in return. Talking endlessly, they barely noticed that they were walking circle in and around Stars Hollow.

Ultimately, they stopped at a bench and sat, and continued their conversation without missing a beat. There they sat, talking about music and guys and school and even home. Lorelai told her that she had run away, but still felt hesitant about saying why. But Sookie seemed to understand the uncomfortable situation between her and The Gilmores. Lorelai practically told her everything, from her still unsettling feelings about Christopher to her eclectic taste in movies.

"So you've seriously never seen _Casablanca_?"

"Nope. I think my parents have own it, but I've never watched it."

"Oh, you have so much to learn."

They stood up again after a few minutes, deciding to go to Sookie's house in search of black-and-white film. Just as she stood up, someone ran into Lorelai. She stumbled backwards, and then looked up at the person.

"Luke!"

"Wh- oh, hey. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. Oh, you dropped your hat," Lorelai bent over and grabbed it. Upon the return of his hat, Luke proceeded to put it on backwards.

"Thanks… Well, I got to go."

"I better go, too. But thanks for the tip earlier. It really helped."

"No problem. Bye, Lorelai."

She turned back to look at Sookie, who was giving her a weird look.

"What?"

"You know Luke Danes? And he's already _nice_ to you?"

"Yeah, I do. Why does everyone assume that he would be rude to me?"

"Well, he's not exactly known for his amazing charm and hospitality."

"What do you mean?"

"He used to be this huge track star, when he was in school. Seriously good. But he didn't really like the party life, weird enough. But then his dad died, his mom moved, and his sister when to live up in New York with some boyfriend, and he just… retreated. Doesn't really go out, oh, and gets into huge fights with the Town Selectman, Taylor. Not really the type to talk to new people."

"Really? Wow… That seems almost – "

"Opposite?"

"Yeah, exactly. Like multiple-personality opposite."

"At least we know that the Beast has a softer side."

"I guess."

Replaying the last scene with Luke, the rest of the night was kind of a blur. They watched Casablanca, and Lorelai prided herself with Sookie's positive reaction to the movie. Sookie then let Lorelai stay the night, since her parents weren't home. Still staring at the ceiling, she hardly noticed when her tape stopped.

It wasn't until a rock hit the window that she woke up from her trance.

Looking out the window, she saw none other than Luke Danes.


End file.
